Blog Archives
The Lost Village, Morris Men and a whole lot of Punch!
The Reawakening Lea Village Festival takes place this coming Saturday, 25 May, from 2pm to 5pm. Come and join performers, dancers, artists and residents to celebrate the story of Lea Village!
It will be a fantastic day bursting at the seams with arts activities, fun filled happenings, and exciting performances for all ages. This traditional festival with a modern twist will include face painting, pottery and finger puppet workshops, Punch and Judy shows, Morris dancing, Lea Village’s Got Talent and much more.
The Festival will also feature the premiere of The Lost Village - a community film written by and starring local residents.
The Village Cafe is joining in the fun by providing a barbeque and bouncy castle and The Pump Cafe on Kitts Green Road will also be open for coffee and cake. If you fancy learning more about the rich history of the area, why not book yourself onto the first ever Lost Village Tour as part of the Birmingham Architecture Festival?
With activities happening within a one minute walk from Lea Hall train station, (just 6 minutes on the train from Birmingham New St) or 35 minutes on the No.14 bus from Birmingham, why wouldn’t you come and experience the now re-awakened Lea Village?
February Ward Committee Meeting
The next meeting of the Ward Committee will be held next Monday, 11 February at The Pump, Kitts Green Road, starting at 7pm.
Items on the agenda include updates from the local police and Environmental Health Officer. There will also be presentations from local youth support organisation Fitcap and the Reawakening Lea Village team.
All residents are very welcome. Hope to see you there!
Youth work update
The November issue of the East Birmingham Youth Service update is out now and its good to see that work in the Shard End Ward again features prominently in its pages!
You can download a copy by clicking here.
Have you got the “write stuff” for Lea Village?
The Re-awakening Lea Village project continues to go from strength to strength, with residents working alongside community filmakers Reel Access and QSR2 Solutions on this exciting local history initiative, which is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
One of the project’s aims is to create a community film based on the stories of life in Lea Village past and present. To help create the script, the project team are holding free workshops every Tuesday from 5pm at The Pump on Kitts Green Road. So, if you fancy putting pen to paper, or have stories and ideas to share, please come along.
Re-awakening Lea Village will also enable residents to create a community archive, documenting life in the neighbourhood over the years. If you are interested in helping with the creation of the archive, please contact Reel Access on 0121 675 8391 or email info@reelaccess.org.uk.
Youth work update
I’ve just received the latest issue of the Birmingham Youth Service newsletter, which sets out some of the work the service has been doing with young people in Shard End Ward and across East Birmingham during the summer months.
There’s been some great things happening. Do take a look by clicking here.
Interested in youth work?
Our local youth service is arranging an exciting training opportunity for professionals and volunteers who are keen to get involved in youth work.
The Introduction to Youth Work course is being hosted by The Pump’s Outreach Team, in conjunction with Shard End Youth Centre. This is an 18 hour accredited programme and is being offered FREE of charge. The course is open to both staff and young people. Once completed, participants are eligible (with a satisfactory Enhanced CRB) to undertake voluntary youth work with Birmingham City Council and partner organisations.
To take part you will need to be able to commit to attending sessions on the following dates and times:
Sat 13th October 2012 10am – 4pm
Mon 15th October 2012 6pm – 9pm
Mon 22nd October 2012 6pm – 9pm
Mon 29th October 2012 6pm – 9pm
Mon 1st November 2012 6pm – 9pm
The sessions will alternate between The Pump and Shard End Youth Centre.
This programme will help professionals find new ideas for delivering group work and activities, but is also ideal for young people who wish to pursue a career in youth work or health and social care.
There are 15 places available on this course, so if you are interested, please get in touch with either Jules Lancaster on 0121 747 5533 or Dave Barrett on 0121 675 8384, as soon as possible.
Re-awakening Lea Village launch set for 24 August
The launch of the Re-awakening Lea Village project, which has won backing from the Heritage Lottery Fund, will take place on Friday 24 August between 2pm and 5pm. Please click on the flyer above for full details.
Reawakening Lea Village is a genuinely home-grown project. It is being developed and led by local people, who want to ensure that the 800 year old story of their neighbourhood is celebrated and protected for future generations to share and enjoy.
There is a wealth of local stories to explore, from the Village’s early days as a wayside stop for weary medieval travellers, through the railway age to the development of the present day suburb. It’s a chance to learn more about our community, but also look to the future of the neighbourhood too.
So, if you’ve got a story to share, or you’re just keen to discover more, please come along and find out how you can get involved. For more information, visit www.leavillage.co.uk.
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
Just received notice of this great summer arts opportunity for people aged between 14 and 18 living in the Shard End Ward:
Local youth work update
The latest issue of the Youth Service newsletter for East Birmingham can be found here.
Highlights of this edition include the Bikewise project at Shard End Youth Centre; how young people from The Pump went to lobby members of the House of Lords; and the excellent work that is taking place at Kitts Green Children’s Centre.
Our youth services play an absolutely vital role in widening horizons and raising aspirations for young people, here in Shard End Ward and across the city as a whole. We should be doing all we can to protect and support them in these tough times.
Pump to host College Open Day
South Birmingham College are holding an Open Day at The Pump on Wednesday 7 December, between 3:30pm and 7:00pm.
The event is a chance to find out more about the range of short courses that the College will be delivering at The Pump, in partnership with local employment project Wish.
For more information, please click here.
